“We discovered that the list that has been used for many years during Memorial Day to recognize local veterans was a bit inaccurate,” said Mary Clancy, who grew up on a farm south of Pomeroy.

Almira Cooley, who died in 1910, was listed as a veteran. Clancy thought that was intriguing and started doing some research to learn more. She discovered that Almira Cooley never served in the military. Her grave was used to mark the grave of a Union soldier, her husband, Zara Cooley (1835-1918).

“Zara never received a military headstone until Oct. 25, when members of the Iowa chapter of The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War were in Pomeroy to place his marker,” Clancy said.

Charles Boeck, a retired farmer from Denison and Iowa Department Commander of the William H. Kinsman Camp No. 23, along with SUVCW chapter member Roy Linn, a farmer from the Washta area, arrived with tools in hand and Cooley’s new headstone.

On October 25, Charles Boeck, of rural Denison, left, and Roy Linn, of Washta, both active members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, arrived at Pomeroy’s Union Cemetery with tools in hand and a headstone for Civil War veteran Zara Cooley.

“It’s remarkable to think that 106 years had passed since Zara Cooley died, and it was now time to place the marker for this Civil War soldier and recognize his service,” Clancy said.

This is part of the mission of the SUVCW, whose members preserve the history and legacy of the heroes who fought to save the Union during the Civil War. The SUVCW leads the National Graves Registration Project, whose goal is to locate the final resting place of all Union Civil War veterans. Linn, the Department of Iowa graves registration officer, along with his wife Linda, have worked tirelessly to provide this service for Civil War veterans buried in Iowa.

“Charles and Roy have set thousands of stones across Iowa,” Clancy said. “Their extraordinary efforts are part of keeping their oath to honor Union soldiers and their sacrifices.”

Who was Zara Cooley?

Not much is known about Zara Cooley. Clancy, along with the SUVCW, found a number of key details, however, about his life and military service.

Zara Cooley enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 1864 and served as a private with Company I of the 16th Regiment of the Kansas Cavalry. He remained with the Union Army until Nov. 28, 1865. His new headstone marks his grave in the Union Cemetery on the north edge of Pomeroy.

SUVCW members were able to produce Zara’s military records, which showed his enlistment date of June 1864. He served as a private with Company I, 16th Regiment of the Kansas Cavalry. He remained with the Union Army until Nov. 28, 1865, when he was honorably discharged.

Later in his life, Cooley and his wife lived in Pomeroy. After her death in December 1910, he went to live with the couple’s daughter in Florence, Nebraska, just north of Omaha. When he passed in May 1918, the May 16, 1918, edition of the Pomeroy Herald provided a few more details about his life:

“The remains of Zara Cooley were brought here Saturday from Omaha and interred beside his wife, who passed away about seven years ago. Since that time Mr. Cooley has been living with his daughter in Omaha. The funeral party went directly from the depot to the Union Cemetery, where a prayer service was conducted by Reverend Homer S. Baumgardner [the Methodist minister]. Mr. Cooley was a Civil War veteran, having served in California. He made his home in Pomeroy in a residence in the southwest part of town, for about eight years before his wife passed away.”

This newspaper clipping was a key piece of the documentation required to get a headstone from the SUVCW. This hard-working group is a legacy of the Grand Army of the Republic, the first organization for veterans in America. In 1881, the GAR established the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War to carry on their mission long after the old veterans were gone.

Just as the GAR veterans had done decades before, members of the SUVCW swear an oath before God to preserve, protect and defend the Union and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Boeck and Linn also donate their time to set headstones like the one they delivered and installed for Zara Cooley recently.

“Charles Boeck and Roy Linn are fulfilling their oath and serving the organization above and beyond the call of duty,” Clancy said.

After Cooley’s stone was set in place by his grave, Clancy conducted a brief memorial service that included a recording of a 21-gun salute and “Taps.” The service concluded with a reading of this poem, author unknown:

God Bless You, Soldier

God Bless you, soldier! — when our sky

Was heavy with impending woes,

When traitors raised the battle cry,

When fear met fear in every eye,

You rushed to meet our foes.

God Bless You, Soldier! — scarred and worn,

Wearied with marchings, watchings, pain,

All battled-stained and battle torn,

Bravely have all their tasks been borne.

You have not fought in vain.

God Bless You, Soldier! — when the air

Grows heavy with the battle’s roar,

Sheltered beneath His love and care,

May victory, with her garlands rare,

Adorn you evermore.

God Bless you, soldier! — when the dove

Of peace the eagle’s nest will share,

With home and hearts made warm with love,

With joys below — with joys above,

God Bless you here and there!